Child abuse—these two words have repeatedly appeared in newspapers time and again.
This form of inexcusable violence does not occur among the poor and uneducated families only but also in families that have so-called high status in society. But more often than not, families that are socio-economically poor are the main abusers in this country.
Although the main reason for this is lack of education, the pressures of city life also contribute to the rise in child abuse cases. Lack of education leads them to think that abuse is the only way to instil discipline in a child. Though this is very wrong, often, these abusers believe what they are doing is just. Sometimes, when parents have bitter disagreements, their anger is often projected towards the children.
Among the educated batch on the other hand, emotional abuse cases are more common. Here, the child is abused verbally with hurting remarks. The child might not have the physical scars as proof, but these internal scars remain for a lifetime.
Problems in the family or among married couple cause a great deal of suffering to the adults and the children as well. Usually, disappointments in the lives of the adults cause extensive depression and anger. These people usually vent out their anger on their children who may not be really aware of what is going on.
The government is doing all that it can to curb child abuse and to create awareness among the educated and the uneducated alike. This public awareness is very important in the sense that it can let people know of their rights and what action to take in case they witness a child being abused. It also encourages people to report these incidents so that the abusers can be charged in the court of law.
Punishment for abusers should serve as a stern warning and reminder not to repeat the offence. Within the period of punishment, therapy should be given to the abusers, for they too, need help. Apart from that, in-depth research should be conducted by doctors and psychologists to find ways to deal with this problem more effectively.
We must not let violence and cruelty become a way of life in our society. We have to stand up for our rights and for those who cannot do it for themselves.
Vocabulary
instil to put a feeling, idea, or principle gradually into someone’s mind
curb to control
in-depth in great detail